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Alumni & Friends

Alumnus and retired Ford CEO Alan Mulally visited with students during a campus visit.

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A major strength of the KU School of Engineering is its family of successful alumni and supporters. Your experiences, insights, time, talent and support are all ingredients that make the school and the next generation of alumni as strong as they can be.

Alumni of the School of Engineering have an unparalleled history of giving for the school and the university. Their contributions can be found all across campus – in our buildings, in our laboratories, and, most importantly, in our classrooms.

The Distinguished Engineering Service Award - DESA

One of the first acts undertaken by the School of Engineering Advisory Board was to establish the annual Distinguished Engineering Service Award (DESA).

The awards honor KU engineering alumni or engineers who have maintained a close association with the university for outstanding contributions to the profession of engineering and to society. The Distinguished Engineering Service Award is the highest honor bestowed by the School of Engineering. Awards are made on the basis of an individual's contribution to the theories and practices of engineering, research and development in new fields of engineering, or direction of an organization that has made exceptional contributions in design, production and development.

The recognition of engineers who have made such important contributions to their profession inspires young engineering students to excel and provides sterling examples of the achievements they can aspire to in their careers.

Nominations for the Distinguished Engineering Service Award are solicited each year from alumni and friends of the School of Engineering and are considered by a subcommittee of the Advisory Board. Click here to learn more about the DESA nomination process. Recipients receive a distinctive trophy and have their likeness and achievements added to the DESA wall of honor in Eaton Hall.

The University of Kansas and the School of Engineering are proud of the remarkable contributions made by each of the DESA recipients. The school and university are pleased to recognize their commitments to excellence and are honored to be associated with them.

Give to KU Engineering

The Hill Engineering Research and Development Center is dedicated.

One of the strengths of the KU School of Engineering is the unwavering support of its alumni and friends. Their professional successes have enabled them to foster personal and professional growth in the next generation of engineers and computing professionals through the school.

Alumni support can take the form of scholarships, distinguished or endowed professorships, laboratories and facilities improvements, structures, programs and more.

School of Engineering graduates are invited to join KU Endowment's Deans Club to continue support for the school. Generous support from alumni and friends can facilitate cutting-edge research, enhance the prestige and reputation of a KU engineering education and attract and educate the best and brightest engineering students. Deans Club donors make an annual gift of $1,000 or more to the School of Engineering. Gifts can be designated to support any department, program or initiative within the school. Check with your employer's human resources department to see if your gift can qualify for a matching contribution.

Advisory Board

In 1978, the University of Kansas School of Engineering drew upon the wealth of knowledge amassed by its alumni and friends in forming the School of Engineering Advisory Board. Such a board would help the school develop priorities for the future, and would help ensure the school provided students with an education that could meet the demands of the future.